About

The Emmy Noether group focuses on the genetic control and environmental regulation of the formation and function of the root system and its biotic interaction with soil microbes in maize. We are interested on the domestication and local adaptation of root systems in grasses, specifically on the causal interaction of plant traits and functional microbial assemblage. We aim to develop a theoretical framework to incorporate beneficial root-microbe interactions into crop breeding and alleviation of environmental costs originated from excessive agricultural inputs.